Yeah, I don't think I hang out much on Gamespot any more. But I've still got this journal, and the whole reason I've got it was to put down thoughts on games. So here's one:
I don't understand the knee-jerk reaction to sequels.
There's many a game designer (the guy who did Katamari Damacy among them) who loathe sequels because they're just cookie-cutter reproductions of previous games with a couple of refinements. They don't have to be, though: sequels are possibly the best place to shake things up and try some really creative thinking; you have an interested audience, a proven track record and a brand. Part of the reason why the games industry tends not to reward innovation is because games are pretty expensive to produce and purchase, and fouling it up costs both companies and consumers money. With a sequel, designers have a track record of success, a brand they can use to market the game, and probably access to better talent as well. Square Enix in particular seems to be doing this with the Final Fantasy brand - as it's so strong, they can take really creative risks; the last three Final Fantasy games had an experimental, strongly interactive plot (X-2), switched genres (XI) and made substantial changes to the conventions of the series (XII).
So long as one doesn't stray too far from the core of the franchise, a designer has a good deal of freedom to be innovative in a sequel.
A caveat: one should keep in mind when starting a franchise that making changes is often crucial to its survival. Reality television is a good example here - shows that kept the same ruleset in the sequel and tried to make changes later met with much more criticism than shows that made changes for the second series. Similarly, established franchises that made substantial changes later in the franchise, such as Zelda: Majora's Mask and Metroid Prime 2, tend to meet with more resistance than if the franchise, once started, does something very different for the sequel, such as the Jak games.
The criticism about sequels tends to apply only to 'mission-pack sequels' that only make minor changes to the rules of the game and mostly provide new content. It's a safe option, but one that causes problems in the long term once people tire of the game.
